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Build Global Partnerships

Arresting and reversing the decline of bats requires an integrated global effort, that not only includes those directly involved in bat education, conservation and research, but also governmental organizations as well as more diverse NGOs that will bring new sets of skills to the challenges we face for bat conservation.

In Asia, Bat Conservation International has forged partnerships with individuals and organizations at the local, country, and regional levels.

This includes partnering with the Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit (SEABCRU) and supporting the Chiroptera Conservation and Information Network of South Asia (CCINSA).

Our collaboration with these regional umbrella networks across multiple countries is complemented by BCI's long-term engagement in countries like the Philippines with local bat experts, landowners, NGOs, conservation societies, and the government's environmental management agency.

SEABCRU is a regional network of researchers, conservationists, and students working in the 10 countries that compose the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which are: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The network's focus is divided into four overarching priorities: forest bats, cave bats, flying foxes, and taxonomy and systematics. Within these focal areas, SEABCRU aims to coordinate regional assessments of bat distribution, abundance, and status - with a strong emphasis on building regional capacity and recruiting university student involvement. The network is open to anyone interested in bat conservation and research activities in Southeast Asia.

Normal Monfort, owner of Monfort Bat Conservation Park, is a long-term BCI partner and strong advocate for bat conservation in the Philippines.

CCINSA was launched in the late 1990s following a workshop for the mammals of India during which the need for increased attention to bat conservation and research became painfully clear - close to one quarter of India's mammal species are bats, yet only 6 people were known to be working on bats in the country at that time. Today, largely due to the efforts of the CCINSA network in the areas of technical training and educational outreach, the situation is much improved, as information about bats is readily available and piquing the interest of established and aspiring bat experts throughout South Asia. From its initial focus in India, the network has expanded to include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

BCI is proud to work with so many qualified and highly-motivated bat conservation and research professionals throughout Asia. We are fortunate to have been in partnership with Norma Monfort to help save and protect Monfort Bat Cave and its 1.8 million Geoffroy’s rousette fruit bats on the island of Samal in the Philippines. We are also proud to sponsor local and national level groups like the Wildlife Conservation Society of the Philippines and the National Caving Congress, both of which have increased their focus on safeguarding the country's bats in the last decade.

Mendoza, of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, accepts a copy of Ecological and Behavioral Methods for the Study of Bats, by Kunz and Parsons, from BCI's Director of Global Programs, Dave Waldien at the annual meeting of the Wildlife Conservation Society of the Philippines.

Our partnerships in the Philippines also include local NGOs like the Mabuwaya Foundation and the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. BCI will continue to expand its collaborations in Asia, placing increased emphasis on identifying Significant Bat Areas, assessing the status of species thought to be facing serious threats of extinction, implementing sustainable conservation plans and recovery programs, and all-the-while continuing to support the growth of local capacity.

Our capacity-building programs include student scholarships, awareness and training workshops for NGOs and professionals, and advocacy at the municipal, regional, and national government levels to influence wildlife management policies.

Ultimately, BCI is working integrate our partnerships in Asia with those in other regions of the world, with the long-term goal of building a unified global bat federation to set broad scale conservation priorities, set common methodologies for species status assessments and taxonomy, share best practices for education and outreach, and advocate on behalf of bats with a single voice for the world.

Philippine Bat Conservation2012

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Our mission is to conserve the world’s bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet.